![Yellowfin Tuna [200x150, 8K]](http://www.cephalopodcast.com/img/pic/pic_070227_Tuna_MarinePhoto.jpg "Australian Maritime College Students process a yellowfin tuna in a laboratory. Stephen McGowan, 2006.")
In the tradition of Internet adages, I’d like to add another. In any discussion of sea life, no matter how rare, strange or disgusting, some knucklehead will always ask how well it goes with lemon or butter. I am calling this Gorton’s Law.
Now the more compelling question is to ask why this happens. Why do so many people consider the sea to be a smorgasbord? What difference is there between animals in the ocean and ones on land? For many, I suppose there is none. For example, on a swamp tour in Louisiana, our guide was kind enough to remind us that in his great state, if it bleeds, they eat it. However, Sylvia Earl, in her book Sea Change
Many who would recognize the absurdity of a plan to sustain large and growing numbers of people by hunting and gathering from the land buffalol, deer, wild birds, rabbits, squirrels, roots, and berries seem to disengage their power of reason when it comes to the sea, apparently believing, somehow, that ocean systems are fundamentally different from those on the land, that they can year after year yield huge, comercially viable takes of wild-caught organisms and rebound indefinitely.
-Sylvia Earl, Sea Change
Why Gorton? Because it sounds better than Robertshaw’s Law. It is also a small homage to Godwin and gives cheeky credit to a company that makes a business selling lemon and butter. But if Nissui USA objects too much, I’d be happy to call this Earl’s Law.
Hmm, perhaps there should be an addendum for BBQ sauce or the GL should be expanded to include all condiments.
I don’t know. I’ve heard lots of horror stories of bringing aboard even 2′ pelagics aboard–broken equipment, injuries, being knocked out. For our own safety, we were personally advised to drag any bonita we might catch behind our sailboat during the trip until it was nearly dead before attempting to bring it aboard. Not very sporting, but safer than swinging a baseball bat around in 8 foot swells trying to stop your dinner from wrecking your boat.
I think many edible fish species tend more towards r-selection than terrestrial mammalian predatory megafauna. I also disagree somewhat with the statement that we tend to eat higher on the oceanic food chain. Lobster and oysters are typically considered a delicacy yet they really don’t rank very high. Besides, I wouldn’t believe anything that sellout writes!
Hey, Gorton’s Law got referenced on digg. Thanks Mike!
The formalization
http://scienceblogs.com/deepseanews/2007/11/gortons_law_1.php
Might be fun to just start linking to examples. Here’s the first one. Mind you, this is fish in a barrel kind of work. :S